Murray's interview both candid, revealing
Andy Murray gave a very interesting and revealing interview to Martin Samuel at the Daily Mail, opening up about his devastating loss at the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic, the lack of British identity in tennis, what it's like to be the odd man out and, of course, his penchant for letting his emotions fly.
It's a fantastic profile on Murray, revealing the self-awareness and perspective of a young athlete under tremendous scrutiny, who has put in "all that effort for not quite." Do take the time to read it.
Here are the five most notable quotes from Murray:
1. "The Australian Open takes place in January, so in December I decamped to Miami to prepare. I spent Christmas Day alone, running on the beach. It could be worse, I know, but everyone else is with their family, and all you keep thinking is, 'Don’t worry, it’s all going to be worthwhile.' So to get so close and lose hits you doubly hard, because of all you’ve given up. All that effort for not quite."
2. "You really don’t want to be [hearing], 'You’re doing great and it’s going to happen if you keep working hard' because you’re thinking, 'Look, I am working hard, and it hasn’t happened, so don’t keep telling me that.'"
3. "When I went to Spain, from the best players to the worst players we were all taught the same way, all given the same drills. They had a structure and they stuck to it. Go to our national centre and you’ve got 10 different nationalities all coaching a different way. If we don’t get the results straight away, we panic and change direction. There is no confidence in our technique, no sense of sticking to an idea, no identity, no consistency in the way we teach tennis, so naturally there is no British style."
4. "People pity me for being around in this era, but I believe it has made me a better player, because each year the bar is raised. It’s like being Real Madrid or Manchester United behind Barcelona. Maybe the teams that come second won’t be remembered, but what can they do but try their hardest?"
5. "Why did Tim Henman not win Wimbledon? Why has Andy Murray not won Wimbledon? Well, sometimes you’re not quite good enough."
